The Hanford Guard Union is continuing to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement under a short-term extension. The agreement was set to expire at the end of October, but has been extended until Nov. 14. The main issues being negotiated between the union and Mission Support Alliance are disability retirement benefits, an MSA proposal to change the work schedule now used by security guards and an MSA proposal to change seniority, said Ed Pacheco, president of the union. The union is being offered the same pension and insurance benefits as the union under the Hanford Atomic Metal Trades Council. Because the union is being asked to align with HAMTC on those benefits, guards also should be given the 2 percent annual wage increase recently agreed to for HAMTC workers, Pacheco said. The union is committed to solving issues at the bargaining table, he said. MSA released a statement saying it is looking forward to continued good faith bargaining by both parties. Since 9/11 the Hanford security force has become a tactical response force with federally commissioned officers, Pacheco said. The number of guards in the union is not made public for security reasons.
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